Faith that Works • 09.08.24
Nick Lees   -   September 8, 2024

Faith That Works
James 1:19-2:26

Cultivating a faith that pleases God

  1. Recognize the necessity of forsaking sin and receiving truth
  2. Apply the truth you receive to transform your daily life
  3. Conform your practice to the values of God, not man
  4. Forsake dead faith that does not bear good fruit

Good morning, church family! (Welcome guests + introduce self)

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles (James 1; page 1199)

This is week two of our study in the book of James: Faith that Works. Last week, we covered 1:1-18 and introduced the idea of being wholly devoted to God. By way of a short recap, the Apostle James, leader of the early church in Jerusalem and brother of Jesus, was writing to Jewish Christians who had been forced to flee from Jerusalem by the persecution of Saul and the Jewish religious leaders. So, James is writing to people who are undergoing suffering, and he is encouraging and exhorting them to continue to keep their eyes on Christ and to live in a God-glorifying way. Last week this included instruction on the following:

  • how they think about and respond to their trials
  • how they can approach God for wisdom from a position of faith
  • how both rich and poor should boast in the Lord’s provision because this life is temporary
  • and to recognize that temptation stems from our own desires
  • but good gifts have their source in God, with the best gift being salvation in Christ.

That’s a packed letter already! So many deep and challenging truths in such a small number of words. That is one of the beauties of this book. James is succinct yet pointed in his teachings.

Today, we are moving into the next large section of the letter, 1:19-2:26, in a sermon titled Faith That Works. The sermon has the same title as the series because this is the section of James that highlights his central argument for the letter – authentic faith produces changed lives. This understanding has already been undergirding everything else he has said in the letter, but now he’s going to make the argument very plain for his readers.

Now before we dive into the Word, I want to clarify something very important for those who may not know me or our church’s doctrine very well. When I say, “Faith That Works” I do not mean “Faith + Works = Salvation”. We wholeheartedly reject the belief that man contributes anything to his/her salvation, well, except as Jonathan Edwards so wisely said, the sin that made it necessary. God alone saves those who are dead in sin; He alone can bring the dead man/woman to life. As James already pointed out in verse 18, it is God’s will that brings about our salvation. Christians are recipients of the great gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

I wanted to clarify that this morning to remove any misunderstanding of what we believe James to be teaching and what our church believes. If you’d like to talk more about the teachings of Scripture on salvation, then I’d love to do that! Let’s plan to get coffee sometime. So, to bring this full circle, when I say, “Faith That Works”, what I mean is what James is about to teach us – that authentic faith produces a changed life that reveals itself in the good fruit or good works that follow. More simply, good works are the fruit of salvation, not the source for salvation.

Let’s study God’s Word together.

James 1:19–27 (ESV)

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Our aim in our study today is…

Cultivating a faith that pleases God

And there is some great truth to consider in what we’ve just read! Some of you are squirming in your seats already. We need to be confronted by God’s Word, don’t we? And that is a good thing. Our first takeaway in cultivating a faith that pleases God comes from verses 19-21 and it is…

  1. Recognize the necessity of forsaking sin and receiving truth

James calls them to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. (repeat) Does that describe your general practice? There is a reason James had to write this… It is far too easy for us to be SLOW to hear, QUICK to speak, and QUICK to anger. Why do you think that is? Because we’re selfish. We are more concerned about being heard than understanding where others are coming from. We are more concerned about getting our way than pleasing the Lord. These are common temptations that any one of us likely struggles with on a weekly basis.

The pressure of trials certainly would not have made these temptations any easier for James’ original audience. It would be tempting to lash out in sinful anger and to operate selfishly rather than living concerned for others. James even explains his reason for confronting them in verse 20 – “for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” This behavior is sinful!

Ouch, right? Were you quick to speak or quick to anger this week? Were you slow to hear? Recognize that these patterns are sinful and you need to forsake them.

Verse 21 – “Therefore PUT AWAY all filthiness and rampant wickedness…” Put away is akin to taking off dirty clothes but, in this case, you’re putting off moral filth and abundant evil. That’s a little more serious than some dirty clothes! Do you view your sinful actions and speech as moral filth and abundant evil? Those are not nice ways to describe our behavior, are they? They kind of sting, James, you big meanie!

James is concerned with his audience’s holiness. He wants eternal good for them and glory for the Lord. Therefore, he calls them to authentic faith that produces true life change!

Verse 21 – “…and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

Meekness means having a right view of self that leads you to act with humility. You’re not concerned about self but others. As a Christian, you should not be puffing yourself up and conducting yourself in a manner that is all about YOU – barking at your spouse, your kids, your community – as if you were the most important person in the room. That is ungodly, selfish behavior unbecoming of a Christian. A Christian ought to actively put off that kind of lifestyle and receive with meekness the Word of God that he has given you. The idea of the implanted word likely comes from the New Covenant promise that God spoke through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 31:33–34 (ESV)

33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

When God saves a man or woman, he radically changes them from the inside out. Your heart or inner-man/woman has been brought from death to life and now you are able to live in a manner that pleases God. That’s what James is calling his readers to do! Live in light of the new life you’ve received! This word not only brought you to new life, it will also bring you to completion at the day of Christ. This fits well with 1:2-4, where James talked about being made perfect and complete in preparation for eternity with God.

Everyone who is here this morning needs to hear this. God calls you to forsake sin and receive the truth. And He is the One who enables you to do this through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

If you call yourself a Christian, then it is time to go to war with the temptation to be quick to speak and quick to anger. Those have no place in your life anymore. Neither can you be a Christian and remain a poor listener. God has rescued you from that kind of selfish behavior. You are now able to learn to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Consider Paul’s teaching in Galatians:

Galatians 5:22–24 (ESV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If you were to read the verses before that, you’d hear about a completely different list of fruits of living by the flesh (the old man/woman). There is an expectation for Christians to be walking/living by the Spirit and not the flesh. Meaning you daily make decisions with the aim of pleasing God rather than self. “Lord, help me to be patient today. Help me to show self-control with my emotions. Help me to be a better listener. May I shut my mouth and have humility. Help me to serve my spouse, my kids, my co-workers rather than expecting them to serve me.”

Some of you may have some confessing and repenting to do this coming week. Perhaps you’ve been a me-monster in the home or the workplace. If you’re in Christ, then own that as sin, ask forgiveness, and plan to change. If you’re not a Christian, then I would encourage you to realize that this way of life leads to eternal death; there is a better way through faith in Christ. Believe in him for salvation and the forgiveness of your sins. You don’t have to stay stuck in these cycles of sin; through Christ you can change.

James goes on in verses 22-27 to clarify what receiving the word looks like – it is doing or obeying the Word. Our second action item for cultivating a faith that pleases God is…

  1. Apply the truth you receive to transform your daily life

First, we receive the truth, but then we apply it to our lives. As we do this it changes or transforms us! This is much different than simply being a hearer only.

James really lays out the problem of being a person who only hears what God says but doesn’t bother to put it into practice, such a person is self-deceived. They think they are living like a Christian, but they are not. The biblical model is hearing and obeying. When both of these are present, then we have evidence of authentic faith.

James uses the analogy of the mirror to show how absurd it would be to remain a hearer only. Let’s think about this together. How many of you looked in a mirror this morning before coming to church? I imagine nearly all of you. It is simply part of our morning routine to prepare for our day. Looking in the mirror reveals important details about you – perhaps that you had bed-head or bed-beard, that your face needed washed, that you were still in your PJs or that you had a stain on your shirt – you get the idea. Looking in the mirror reveals things about you, but what if you had simply walked away without addressing any of those things!? You would be here right now looking a hot mess. Absurd right? That’s what a hearer only is like. They’ve heard from God’s Word about things that need to change in their lives, but they walk away and remain the same. Absurd! On the other hand, the one who responds to what they have heard in the Word and acts upon it, will be blessed in their obedience.

James is talking about obedience to the Word of God as explained and fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The law… of liberty. God’s commands that can set you free from sin and death through Jesus. The person who “looks” or more literally “stoops/bends over to look” at this law and then perseveres or “remains” about that lifestyle will be transformed. They are putting time and effort into knowing the truth and abiding by it. This is authentic faith!

Do you see evidence of this type of faith in your own life? Are you a man or woman who slows down long enough to look intently into the Word of God on a regular basis? Do you remain there until you have a better understanding of it and can walk away with life-changing truth to apply in your own life?

This is what our daily lives ought to be marked by as Christians. A hunger… a pursuit to know the truth and to live by it. There should be evidence of God at work in you as you study and obey His Word over the course of the year. Are you different in September than you were in January? How have you changed and grown because of your study of the Word?

James gives some very specific examples of this transformation in verses 26-27:

James 1:26–27 (ESV)

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Notice he again confronts the reality that uncontrolled speech is indicative of a self-deceived heart. He’s going to continue to address our tongue/speech throughout the letter because our speech reveals a lot about our heart. Out of the heart the mouth speaks. Unrestrained speech is evidence of worthless religion rather than authentic faith. If that describes you, please confess and repent of it!

However, authentic faith is known by its care for the least of these. James gives example of those who were the most vulnerable in their society – orphans and widows. Christians need to care for those who cannot provide for themselves. I praise God for those among us who are engaged in such authentic faith. We have families who are fostering, who have adopted or are adopting, who are serving with ministry partners like Together for Good/Ruth Harbor/Agape/Wildwood Hills/Garden Gate Ranch to help families in distress, and still others who are seeking to come alongside these families by providing meals and care communities to shoulder their burdens… When one of our widows was in need recently, many rose up to meet her needs. These are sweet fruits of authentic faith, and we ought to rejoice in them! And, truthfully, this kind of care and meeting needs should be the burden of everyone who calls themselves a follower of Christ. This is not one person or one family’s calling, this is every Christian’s calling, it will just look different based on our abilities, giftings, and capacities. So, let’s be intentional to each do our part! For more info on getting involved in these kinds of ministries, check out our ministry partners page (2 slides) or the Care Connections Ministry (hold up brochure).

(Main Points Slide) Not only are we called to care for the least of these, do not miss out on the call to keep oneself unstained from the world. Christian men and women must avoid being overly influenced and corrupted by the world’s values and priorities. The world meaning the culture and people who reject God’s will and ways.

Remember, James is writing to people who have been spread abroad. As Jewish Christians, they were a minority group compared to the pluralistic Romans who ruled over them. There would have been many opportunities to be influenced towards valuing things of the world over Christ. This is still the same struggle Christians face today around our world. In the West we face a constant barrage of media all day long, on our phones, on our computers, on our TVs. Everything you look at and listen to is aiming to convince you of some kind of value you must have or action you must take. Every show is seeking to promote some kind of message, even if it is just “come back again and consume more of me.” Are we conscientious of the influences we allow into our lives? Do you pay attention to the message of the media you consume? How are they trying to influence you? What value system are they promoting?

As Christians we must be discerning in order to keep ourselves unstained from the world. We cannot simply accept or listen to any or every kind of media or message. No matter how resilient you think you are, if you consume enough garbage, you will be affected by it. If you haven’t listened to the Firm Faith episodes 7 & 8, Jack and I discuss this topic in more detail. These are the episodes titled Competing Spectacles and Tech-Wise Family. This is one of the more pressing matters of our day – standing firm in the faith rather than compromising to worldliness. In a day of viral media, it is so tempting to excuse the shows we watch – “I know other Christians who watched this! Everyone else has seen it!” or the music we listen to – “The lyrics don’t affect me! I know they’re wrong in what they’re saying.” Social media is probably one of the worst sources of it as it promotes whatever the latest worldly fad might be and normalizes it to everyone. Be on guard! Make it your aim to keep yourself unstained from the world. Don’t willingly listen to lies over and over again, because you will eventually believe it to be the truth.

Let’s turn our attention to where James progresses next in the text. I’m going to read 2:1-13 next.

James 2:1-13 (ESV)

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

If you haven’t noticed, there is a progression in the concepts James is teaching. First, we heard the call to forsake sin and receive truth, then we heard that one must apply the truth and be transformed, and now we are being taught specifics about what this changed life ought to look like. In this passage, James has made it very clear that it is unacceptable and sinful to show favoritism or partiality in the way you treat others. This is a direct violation of God’s command to love your neighbor as yourself. So, our third takeaway towards cultivating a faith that pleases God is…

  1. Conform your practice to the values of God, not man

This stems from the belief that God knows what is best for human flourishing. Partiality is sinful and a man-made corruption of true faith and practice. It is not ok to treat a well-dressed person differently than someone wearing shabby clothing. Yet I am willing to guess that almost all of us are tempted to do this! Even if we won’t admit it.

In James’ day, apparently that meant giving the wealthy the best seats in the assembly, while the poor were asked to sit on the floor. Not only was that wicked because they were making distinctions about people’s worth, but it also led to them honoring the very people who were their oppressors! What folly!

Why are Christians tempted to act this way? Why might you be tempted to treat others differently based upon their appearance or apparent level of wealth?

The blunt answer is that we are vain people. We value too highly the things that God does not care about – appearance, possessions, power, influence, etc., I believe we are also prone to believe that the rich are especially blessed by God. That is clearly what the disciples thought in Jesus’ day. You may remember the interaction between Jesus and the rich young ruler, but do you recall what happened between Jesus and the disciples afterward?

Matthew 19:23–25 (ESV)

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

The disciples were greatly astonished because they wrongly believed that riches meant a person was in God’s favor. Many of us are prone to making the same kind of assessment. Yet the reality is that God values richness in faith, not finances. As James points out God often chooses those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Why? Because those who are poor in the world are not tempted to put their faith in their finances or own abilities.

Now, does that mean that God is against riches? No. Don’t conflate the principles here. Being rich is not a sinful thing. However, being rich in wealth yet bankrupt in faith is sinful. And Jesus also taught that it is very tempting for humans to worship money over God.

So, I join my voice with James in sounding the warning against partiality and worldly wealth. It is tempting to desire the approval of those who are successful in the world’s eyes. In our flesh, it is easy to treat those who appear unable to benefit us as lesser. This is due to our own sin nature and not of God. Where we find this belief and practice in our life, we must confess and repent of it.

This is why the teachings of the so-called “prosperity gospel” are so heinous. They completely contradict the teachings of God by saying that if you loved God you would be healthy, wealthy, and prospering in life. James would not have recognized such a message as having anything to do with the law of liberty that he is professing here.

James is calling Christians to love their neighbors as themselves. That is the law of God. Partiality is a breaking of that law and it invites judgment upon us. I don’t know about you, but when God returns, I want to experience his mercy, not judgment. If that’s what we want, then we had better be willing forsake partiality and learn to treat everyone with biblical love.

Let’s keep reading through to the end of the chapter. James is going to keep developing his argument.

James 2:14-26 (ESV)

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Here it is, the culmination of James’ argument! Faith apart from works is dead. It is of no use to claim Christ but then fail to help a fellow Christian in their time of need. Authentic faith bears good fruit. So, our final takeaway this morning in cultivating a faith that pleases God is to…

  1. Forsake dead faith that does not bear good fruit

This passage is an important one throughout church history. It has been wrestled with by many throughout the years and it is important to emphasize that we do not believe it is teaching that works are necessary for salvation. Rather it is teaching that works are the result of salvation. This is one of the ways it means to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Christians take care of other Christians, especially in times of need.

Obedience to this biblical ideal is helpful for separating true believers from the pretenders, as Jesus says in Matthew 25.

Matthew 25:31–46 (ESV)

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Those who claim to follow Christ yet do not bear the good fruit of a transformed life are deceived. And it will not end well for them when they stand before Christ. Neither Jesus or James gives any comfort to the person who wants the benefits of faith for themselves but is unwilling to sacrifice to help their brother or sister in time of need.

James says that faith without works is dead faith. There has been no transforming work of the Spirit, there is only head knowledge. He goes further by stating that this type of faith is the faith of demons, not Christians. Even the demons know the truth about Jesus; but they too refuse to submit to his will! This kind of intellectual faith does not save you, it condemns you.

If you find yourself claiming the name of Christ yet living in a selfish, unchanged manner from your former days before Christ, then you ought to be concerned. God leaves no man or woman unchanged when He gives them new life. If you have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, then you cannot remain in sin and be content. You will be convicted and desire to change!

If your experience is that you are regularly convicted and desire to change, then you ought to take heart in that! It is evidence of the Spirit’s work in you. The challenge now is to put into practice the truth that you have received. This first requires you to be a student of the Word. Allow Him to instruct you in the ways of righteousness. Then look for opportunities to obey the Word – to put it into practice. More simply to love God and love others. They are all around you if you look for them and pursue them.

Authentic faith is revealed by the good works that are produced from it. They are a result of authentic faith. And to complete his argument, James appeals to the examples of Abraham and Rahab. Both are Scriptural examples of a person who was accepted by God based on their authentic faith that produced good works.

Please do not misunderstand what James means by “justified by works”. He is not using the word in the same way that Paul does for our initial judicial verdict of innocent before God. No, James is speaking of justified as accepted by God at the day of judgment. This is the same usage as Jesus in Matthew 12:37:

Matthew 12:36–37 (ESV)

36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Commentator Douglas Moo explains the difference this way:

So “justify” in Paul refers to how a person gets into relationship with God, while in James it connotes what that relationship must ultimately look like to receive God’s final approval.

The point being that authentic faith always produces good works. And, as a result of living in obedience to God’s Word, a Christian can have confidence that they are in the faith and will receive God’s final approval. Whereas someone who claims Christ yet lives a life devoid of obedience to God’s Word should fear the day of judgment. For they have a dead, demonic faith that will not receive God’s approval.

These are sobering, yet helpful words. They are a warning for us to evaluate our own lives. To make sure that we are in the faith. Far better to endure painful self-evaluation here and now if the result is conviction and repentance that leads to eternal life. It is our pastor team’s intention to help as many people as possible stand firm until the day of Christ and to be able to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master.”

I’d love to talk with you more about any of this after the service or in the weeks ahead.

Let’s pray.

Pray